OpinionMarch 31, 2005
Speak Out 3/31/05
Making deep cuts; Clear consciences?; Send them to fight; The phantom steed; Making up snow day; Show the price; Elderly drivers; Environmental talk show
Making deep cuts
IF YOU are not concerned about the proposed Medicaid cuts and believe cutting it so drastically is a good way to save state money, consider this: Missouri legislators unashamedly receive $76 a day in expense money when in session. Gov. Matt Blunt promises to control Medicaid, along with many other promises that got him elected. However, he said he would do this by cutting waste, fraud and abuse, not by cutting eligibility. Only three states set eligibility levels for Medicaid lower than federal poverty level, which is the proposal now pending. To cut Medicaid about $250 million, this state will then lose $379 million in federal dollars, because the proposed cuts are not in line with the federal guidelines.
Clear consciences?
DO YOU find it interesting that of 20 Republican senators who voted for the devastating, shameful cuts in Medicaid, 17 of these politicians receive state-funded health care for themselves and for some of their families? It apparently does not bother their consciences at all to vote to deprive many less-fortunate Missourians of health care while taxpayers pay for their own health insurance.
Send them to fight
YOU HAVE my vote. Send the inmates to fight in the war. Let them repay society for the wrong they've done. Bring home the innocent sons, husbands, fathers and daughters. What a wonderful idea.
The phantom steed
DARE TO dream and fulfill those fantasies. Succeed on your terms. Bring to life what makes you satisfied. Claim your birthright. Take the reins of the phantom steed and ride in your domain.
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Making up snow day
I WOULD like to ask the Cape Girardeau School Board why the classified staff members are the only employees in the district who have to make up a snow day taken in December. The teachers and the students do not have to make up this day. Every staff member is critical to the district. You could not run a school without the secretaries, custodians, nurses, cafeteria personnel or teacher assistants. I've never heard of this practice at any other district.
Show the price
WHY DO real estate companies in this area have a problem with putting prices in their ads? I've been looking for a property for the last couple of months, and I won't even call the ones that don't list prices, no matter how good the house looks. If a property is worth what it's listed for, why are they against showing the price? It's better to be able to see the price when you're looking at the ad.
Elderly drivers
DO NOT point a finger just at teenagers for careless driving. In this town there are a lot of careless and inconsiderate drivers from every age group. Just the other day, while leaving a parking lot, I waited a full 60 seconds for a very elderly man to pass in front of my car in the crosswalk. I could not believe my eyes when he got into the driver's seat of a vehicle. It just goes to show that wisdom does not always come with age. There needs to be required driving tests for the elderly. There is an abundance of elderly people in this town who have no business driving a car. At least my teenager can pass the test. How about some tickets for the old folks who drive under the speed limit?
Environmental talk show
HOW GREAT It would be to have a radio talk show that discusses environmental news and the progress being made in this area and in general raise awareness that we must preserve the eco-systems of the earth for ourselves and posterity and all life on the planet. Perhaps Greenpeace or the Sierra Club could coordinate such a program and present their philosophy and further understanding of the current state of this issue and what we need to do as civilized people to correct destructive practices and foster hope and solutions to this complex and imminent concern.
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